The Luxury Channel was delighted to accept an invitation to London’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Knightsbridge to meet Mr. L.A. himself, Ross King, best known as the top showbiz correspondent on Good Morning Britain, a man we are accustomed to seeing grilling A-list celebrities on the red carpet, from the Academy Awards to The Grammys to the Golden Globes. He was joined by writer and childhood friend Shari Low, who over the last decade has written numerous novels which have been published in the UK and internationally.

They told us exclusively about their new collaboration, Taking Hollywood – One Fateful Night. A Lifetime of Lies. The Ultimate Scandal, which took less than a year to put together! Having been friends for so many years, there was a lot of ease working with each other to the extent that they even came up with the pseudonym “Shari King” to use as the name of the writer for the book.

Taking Hollywood is set in the contrasting worlds of Scotland and LA, and the action revolves around three main characters, Mirren, Zander and Davie, childhood friends from Scotland who have all made it big and are living the dream in Hollywood, but there are dark secrets behind how they got there. It is a rollercoaster read that takes you on a journey inside the gritty world of fame and celebrity, exposing all the glamour behind Tinsel Town. King said, “Look, Shari and I really wanted to write a book that we would read ourselves, something that we believed in and something that everyone can enjoy.”

One of King’s best friends from his early days in Scotland is Hollywood superstar Gerard Butler who has endorsed the book, so it is no surprise that people may wonder if the characters Mirren, Davie and Zander are based on people he knows in Hollywood. King and Low both agree that some of the stories in the book really did happen, and the characters are elements of different people, including themselves. According to Butler, the book is “a real slice of Hollywood and a brilliant read….but I wouldn’t tell Ross! P.S. I’m not Zander Leith!”

To top it all, King and Low have also garnered support from acclaimed writers such as Jackie Collins and Martina Cole, who said that the book is “a glam, edgy thriller – just the way I like them!”

The book is released mid-August in the UK, available at all good bookstores and also on Amazon.

Highlights of the Week

The Newsletter

Escape, explore and discover our online magazine where you will find up-to-the-minute articles, news and trends on the most sophisticated and smartest goings-on in the world of luxury. We hope you enjoy the fascinating people and stories that can be found here on The Luxury Channel.